It is common practice in the field of internal combustion engines, particularly those for use in automotive vehicle application, to provide means on the engine oil pan or cylinder block for mounting a removable oil gauge rod. Many differing locations and means of mounting such an oil gauge or dipstick have in the past been provided that in varying degrees combined the desirable features of low application cost and convenience for engine servicing personnel.
It is also common in engine design practice to provide communicating drains between upper chambers of the engine which contain oil lubricated components, such as for example the valve chamber or rocker box of overhead valve type engines, and the lower crankcase and sump chamber defined by the cylinder block and oil pan in which the supply of engine oil lubricant is stored. Such drains are normally provided by internal passages formed within the cylinder block and connecting the upper and lower chambers.
Further, it is recognized that a large wall area may be made structurally more rigid and strengthened with a limited increase in weight by the suitable integration of stiffening ribs as a part of the wall structure. This method of strengthening and stiffening the housing of mechanical machinery has become an accepted way of reducing the sound producing vibration characteristics of such devices to provide more quiet operation with a limited addition of weight or increase in cost.